Noel

If on Mac resize photos/jpgs in 'Preview' app (Tools-Adjust Size), or if on Windows use 'Microsoft Office Picture Manager' (Picture-Resize and save), before uploading to your photo hosting website (e.g. Photobucket or flickr, etc), or before attaching directly here. Typically resizing to 1024 pixels wide is still a big enough image to look well on a web site, yet only about 200k in size compared to say a 3mb or 6mb original image straight off a camera. It will also upload 10-20 times faster. If using photobucket to host your images it has a facility for you to specify a default image size in your account settings, and this will automatically resize them during upload (i.e. you don't need to bother on your computer beforehand), but if you have a slow internet connection, its still better to resize on your computer before uploading as it will take a lot less time. Looking forward to seeing your photos and layout

Some fabulous photos in the rest of that album

Hi HB. What sound decoder is it - ESU LokSound (Murphy Models supplied) or Zimo? Check CV5 is not set at too low a value (i.e. Max Voltage values between 0 and 255). Try setting it to 255 on your DCC test track, and see if that makes any difference by testing on your main track. Also check what CV3 and CV4 are set to (Acceleration and deceleration), just in case the acceleration delay was set too high. Noel PS: Make a note of any CV values before you change them in case you need to revert back.

My favourite CIE livery, black A class, large white head band, with tan underneath.

And a rake of Lima CIE coaches behind (i.e. BR Mk1s in CIE B&T), from about 1978ish that ran with Lima's CIE class 33s pretending to be A class locos. As I said back then, this looked as close as one could get to Irish RTR model stock.

After the Hymek post of ebay thread I searched the attic and found my old Hornby CIE train set from mid 70s, Hymek + 2 x Mk2a/b's - hideous models by todays standards and that day glow fluorescent orange plastic on the coaches turns my stomach now, but in 1976 I thought these were the bees knees! How our expectations have changed - Thanks to PM While in the attic I found a box of my old figures which escaped to the Irish platforms in the hope of getting trains to the BR outline end of the layout The BR steam locos caused great confusion amongst waiting passengers!

Took these out of retirement for pic - CIE Hymek + Hornby Mk2a's

Whoops apologies.

Have one thanks (with the stick on CIE logo both ends).

Hi. What sound decoder is it - ESU LokSound (Murphy Models supplied) or Zimo? Check CV5 is not set at too low a value (i.e. Max Voltage values between 0 and 255). Try setting it to 255 on your DCC test track, and see if that makes any difference by testing on your main track. Also check what CV3 and CV4 are set to (Acceleration and deceleration), just in case the acceleration delay was set too high. PS: Make a note of any CV values before you change them in case you need to revert back. PS2: Best to post this in 'Q&A' forum to get more visibility and more replies.

Hi Alan. Track is pinned with narrow track pins into partially preformed holes created with a fine pointed screw driver. The ballast is not compressed by the track or pins. I've only a handful of point motors wired up yet and those operate ok. All of the points have a half inch hole drilled under them in the baseboard. There are some points on the upper level that won't take motors directly underneath the base board due to track underneath, so they will be operated by push rods to remote motors (ie much like control cables in RC model aircraft). The layout has three levels with track laid on upper and mid level but not yet on lowest level. See track plan on Kingsbridge thread. The gradient change between level 1 and 2 is about 1/32 (3.1%). The height difference between levels is 3inches. Noel

Anybody remember Hornby Dublo (2 rail)? Hornby Dublo taken out of storage - mixed freight wagons. The 'table top' model trains of the 60s. Diecast BR tank loco hauls mixed freight. Hornby Dublo diecast Barnstable hauling ex-GWR stock East meets west! Tin plate SR green coach In the background Bachmann GWR coaches - Dublo GRW coaches in foreground behind 'Barnstable' discast metal loco, had metal side panel with plastic roof, except for restaurant car which had metal roof also. For late 1950s early 1960s they were not bad models. I remember hauling 30 Triang Hornby coaches owned by other folk behind our 'Barnstable' loco in 1973!!!

Thanks Dave, in Bray Wheelers I presume.

Hi Walter, Where is the end of year sale and what time? Noel

All 5 of my IE/IR orange locos ones came with black horns in the detailing pack Ditto - Must have been a lapse in QC on the boxing section of the production line that day. That's what I will do. One of the ones I bought in 2008 had orange horns pre-fitted.

Interesting. All the MM 141/181s I bought new had black horns irrespective of the livery.

Thanks, that makes sense.

I contemplated it, but the chassis and drive are so poor (i.e. old style) I decided against. Superficially the main changes that seem needed were changing the cab windows to two instead of one, add a buffer beam, and change the profile of the area where the front meets the roof. They would then look a more like an A class if not scale and differences in the sides. Had the chassis been better quality it might have been something I'd have tried.

Are the 201s built by Bachmann? I had mistakenly thought MM had another manufacturer build them. PS: Personally I find the motor/drive and chassis on the 141/181 quieter and slightly better runners. They seem just a slight shade up in engineering quality compared to the 071 and 201 chassis which are excellent anyway, but the 141/181 chassis is stunning perfection.

A big thank you NIRCLASS80. It's an old thread but new and will be invaluable for me as I convert my stock. Many thanks also to 'Kirley' for the link here.

Hi Folks I'm about to fit Kadee NEM362 couplings to some MM Cravens and Mk2's. Does anybody have any useful tips for fitting to MM coaches, or common pitfalls to avoid? I vaguely remember somebody posting how difficult it was to get the existing tension lock couplings to pop out of the NEM362 sockets. Many thanks Noel

Yes for nearly 20 years I collected stock from 'The Signal Box' who were a superb mail order company in the UK (pre-internet), but I see they too closed in the past few years and they were one of the largest suppliers.

LOL - Did you mean this B class, or the A class? This does indeed look like it got a 'belt of a shovel' in the face. B class A class

Wow, hats off, been reading back through your workbench thread. Superb projects and modelling. Page 8 photos are a GM treasure trove!

Hmmm! Not sure myself? There are quite different effects the internet has had. The toy sector of the model train market was already in free fall long before the internet really took off. Long ago they used to say every young boy got at least one train set as a Christmas or birthday present before they were 14, but that is all gone, it became commodore 64, Atari, then Nintendo, gameboys, playstations, computers, etc, and now smartphones and tablets that children stare at. And more recently our young spend more time with the internet's social networking and watching Netflix than letting their imagination run wild on imaginary battle fields with toy soldiers and tanks, dog fights with airfix, or interstellar space ship attacks. Now they watch instead of making up their own plots by hand. Most don't use their hands to 'play' or build and interact with physical toys as much, the imagination has been replaced by the dance of LCD screens, hence lego, meccano, kicking a football outside, climbing trees, and model trains are gone by the wayside. The hobby is now mainly the preserve of 'dads' who used to play with toy trains when they were youngsters before LCDitis struck the world. Hence it is now more of a modellers market, with the number of toy retailers supplying model trains reduced due to the exodus of children from the market. Hence a smaller number of high quality retailers specialising in various facet's of modelling products and services. Sure the internet must have had an effect on those retailers that did not compete on price, but modellers are more discerning and price wise than the mass toy market, and it seems that the savvy retailers have found a number of ways to compete. Looking at rows and rows of well displayed models in a retail store combined with the ability to view and handle products is still a draw for some, even if they only buy X% in store and Y% online. As ever with retail, its the extra odds'n'ends that folks often buy when purchasing a larger item that can have more attractive margins. But the main reason we have less model shops, is far fewer little boys get train sets for birthdays and Christmas anymore. It's simply become a smaller and more specialised market for an older age profile.